TURNERS FALLS — Montague town officials are preparing the next steps to secure the Strathmore building complex after getting approved for $100,000 in funding following an order from the state fire marshal.
The money, OK’d at a special town meeting vote last week, will help repair buildings and doors and keep the weather out and unauthorized persons from entering the building.
Now that the funding piece has been handled, the town is working on the project and getting it handled as quickly as possible.
“The biggest hurdle is getting the money, which is what we now have,” Selectman Michael Nelson said.
Town Administrator Steve Ellis said in his update to the Board of Selectmen on Monday that Building Inspector David Jensen was finalizing the specifications for the Request for Proposal, or RFP. Once the town issues the RFP, it will accept bids for the project and accept the lowest one.
Ellis said he expects the bids for the project to come around April, and for the work to begin this spring. He said the Department of Public Works has already started securing the entrances that were the biggest concerns.
“They’ve removed the low-hanging fruit in terms of entry points, and that ,as an interim measure, has been very effective,” Ellis said.
He added that it does not seem like anyone has tried to enter the building since the town stepped in earlier this year, something he attributes to the interim measures, public awareness and twice-a-shift drive-bys by Montague Police.